September 29, 2026
HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding Achieves Preliminary Acceptance of John F. Kennedy (CVN 79)
NEWPORT NEWS, Va., Sept. 29, 2026 — HII (NYSE: HII) announced today that its Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division has achieved preliminary acceptance of John F. Kennedy (CVN 79), the second Gerald R. Ford-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.
Preliminary acceptance, the final step before formal delivery to the U.S. Navy, allows the Navy to begin underway test and evaluation of Kennedy’s unique systems and for the crew to gain operational proficiency. CVN 79 successfully completed acceptance trials in August.
“Achieving preliminary acceptance is another step toward ensuring the U.S. Navy has the aircraft carriers it needs to carry out the mission of defending our nation,” said Bryan Caccavale, NNS vice president of program management. “It is an honor to see Kennedy depart and begin integration into the fleet.”
CVN 79 continues the legacy of highly capable nuclear-powered aircraft carrier platforms. The carrier departed NNS today and will transition to Naval Station Norfolk.
About HII
HII is America’s largest shipbuilder, delivering the world’s most powerful ships and all-domain mission technologies, including unmanned systems, to U.S. and allied defense customers. HII is the largest producer of unmanned underwater vehicles for the U.S. Navy and the world.
With a more than 140-year history of advancing U.S. national security, HII builds and integrates defense capabilities extending from the core fleet to C6ISR, AI/ML, EW and synthetic training. Headquartered in Virginia, HII’s workforce is 45,000 strong.
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